Hot Pursuit

This is obviously one of those films that was designed to occur the week after Avengers.

I mean that in the sense that it offers something different from last weekend and that it is utterly forgettable.

Some critics have taken forgettable to equate to "bad", which Hot Pursuit really isn't, but I feel like I've been on that soap box before so I'll just let it rest and just get to what will be a rather short review for a rather short movie.

Hot Pursuit stars Reese Witherspoon (fresh off her Rath Award for Best Actress in Wild) and Sofia Vergara as a cop and criminal's wife, respectively. One thing leads to another and they eventually end up running from the law in a hot pursuit -- so that's where they got that clever title!! The plot is nothing to write home about, as is the case with most comedies, and any twist that the film tries to reveal seems a bit out of place and dramatic for a film that's supposed to be a female buddy-cop-but-one-isn't-a-cop-comedy. Given the date slot of when this film was placed, I really shouldn't have guessed for much more and upon leaving the theater all I could really think is that this would be a great movie to show up on TV on a rainy day that you kinda/sorta watch as you do something else.

It's certainly not horrendous a la Hot Tub Time Machine 2 but I have a feeling that if someone asks me this near the end of the year, "Hey Jordan, what did you think about that Hot Pursuit movie?" my response would be, "Ummm I don't think I ever saw it? Who's in it?"

Typical female distraction technique: huge belt buckles

"This accident has me all jacked up!!"

I generally enjoy both of these actresses. Witherspoon is very homey and usually very likable. Early in this film, she starts to get incredibly annoying as the fast-talking, super straight cop who knows all the rules. Eventually the film realizes this and tones her down, much to its benefit. Vergara is often a hoot on Modern Family but she is served up in small doses on that show...which is in her best interest. She has some "dramatic" parts in the film and honestly, I wasn't as annoyed as I thought I would be with her. Together these two ladies have some good chemistry and despite their differences, they seem to connect well on screen and most likely off-set (there is a pretty funny blooper reel at the end). The film is truly theirs as most other characters receive less than 20 mins of screen time.

Unfortunately though, the film just truly isn't all that funny. The script has almost zero one-liners and all of the best situational comedy bits were revealed in the trailers. I maybe laughed twice, but that isn't to suggest that I wasn't enjoying myself. There are a couple funny bits, like Witherspoon on cocaine, and the aforementioned blooper reel, but other than that, this is really a comedy that will only satisfy those who are truly desperate for a laugh. That's a shame when you consider the talent you have in Witherspoon and Vergara and the natural chemistry they have. You wish that the script writers would have at least brought their B-game to match the actresses'.

Witherspoon and Vergara actually have a small
role in Mad Max: Fury Road!

Furthermore the film loses its focus near the end, becoming somewhat intensely dramatic suddenly, but also trying to pull off jokes at the same time. I'll stick to my no-spoilers rule, even with films such as this, but it created some odd situations where I didn't know if I was supposed to be amused (aka laugh) or if they were going for a more serious vibe. Ultimately everything ends how you would expect though and Hot Pursuit somewhat solidifies itself as "instantly forgettable". Part of me thinks that the film knows this, given it's super-short 87 minute runtime and release date placement, and that's something I can appreciate.

Obviously Hot Pursuit won't be ending up on probably anyone's Top 10 lists, but it's not necessarily a terrible trip to the theater. You'll enjoy it on TV someday, but if you just can't wait until then, I'd recommend catching a matinee showing.

Luckily we have a couple big films dropping next week that should be MADdeningly aca-awesome.

Yeah...obviously my jokes aren't much better ^^

 CONS:

• Witherspoon's character is grating at first and Vergara's character can be grating at times
• The film isn't all that funny
• Best bits were given away in the trailers
• Tries to get dramatic near the end and doesn't succeed
• Lame script
• Very forgettable

PROS:

• Witherspoon and Vergara have some good chemistry together
• Enjoyable enough
• Short and sweet
• Funny blooper reel
• Some of the bits, aside from being revealed in the trailers, are still pretty funny

Rath's Review Score: 5/10